Pixels instead of paper: bekuplast digitizes pallet management

With the solutions from Logistikbude, the manufacturer of plastic containers can keep an eye on its load carriers at all times, save costs and work more efficiently with freight forwarders.

bekuplast GmbH from Ringe is both a family business and a global player. As one of Europe's leading manufacturers of reusable transport packaging, the company offers its customers customised container solutions. The goal? Efficient and sustainable containers for every purpose.

Time-consuming, manual processes and lost load carriers

The family business uses classic Euro exchange pallets, among other things, to transport its plastic containers. Several times a day, various freight forwarders collect the containers produced, including the Euro exchange pallets. Before working with Logistikbude, the forklift drivers used to record this exchange process by hand on a pallet note - which not only involved a lot of manual work, but was also prone to errors. The completed pallet notes were sometimes handed in late and then had to be manually transferred to an Excel spreadsheet, scanned manually and filed in the DMS. In addition, someone always had to keep track of the exchange accounts and reconstruct how many exchange pallets were outstanding. These tedious tasks were the responsibility of Wolfgang Wenke, who is in charge of incoming goods at bekuplast. He spent several hours a month on manual pallet documentation and reconciliation of the exchange accounts alone. He coordinated the "pallet debts" directly with the shipping companies and customers by email or telephone - a time-consuming and therefore costly endeavour for everyone involved. "At some point I thought: there must be an easier way to do this in this day and age," Wenke reports.

"We realised that we needed a more modern system to document all exchange processes for the Euro exchange pallets in a simple, digitally traceable and transparent manner in order to ultimately reduce personnel and shrinkage costs and increase employee satisfaction," explains Maik Westenberg, Manager Digital Transformation (CDO) at bekuplast.

Westenberg's job is to automate and digitalise processes within the company. Together with Wenke, he was therefore looking for a long-term solution for pallet management. Originally, there was also the idea of realising the development of a corresponding software solution in-house with internal application developers. However, the idea was discarded as quickly as it had arisen due to the high cost and the complex issue of information security in connection with a cloud solution in digital applications. A fully developed and ready-to-use solution from Logistikbude was already in place.

Digital loading equipment notes via app

The cloud-based software solution Logistikbude digitalises and simplifies the management of reusable objects such as racks, boxes and pallets. The Dortmund-based start-up of the same name and bekuplast were already in contact, but the decisive factor was a meeting with co-founder and COO Michael Koscharnyj at a logistics trade fair in Düsseldorf. Koscharnyj and Westenberg not only quickly got talking, but also repeatedly returned to the problem of pallet exchange. Westenberg was shown the application the very next day and was immediately impressed: "I hadn't realised that there was already an almost perfect solution for our needs and challenges."

For example, bekuplast has completely digitalised its manual pallet management process. Instead of using pen and paper, the forklift drivers now document the pallet exchange directly from the forklift using the Logistikbude app. To do this, they log in at the start of work using a QR code and create an exchange transaction as soon as a haulage company delivers or collects Euro exchange pallets. The driver selects the relevant haulage company from a drop-down menu, enters the number of pallets received or collected and documents the quality of the accepted Euro exchange pallets using a photo via the app. After signing in the app, a digital loading slip is generated and documented. The recorded booking is then checked by Wolfgang Wenke, adjusted if necessary and finally authorised.

"Thanks to the support from Logistikbude, this process, which used to take me a lot of time, now runs almost by itself. It takes a lot of pressure off me in my day-to-day work," says Wenke.

After approval, a link is automatically sent to the forwarding agent, which shares the information about the Euro exchange pallets and enables continuous reconciliation instead of having to wait for the monthly account statement. Handwritten notes and time-consuming follow-up phone calls are now a thing of the past.

Fast booking processes and transparent tracking for all parties involved

The booking process for exchanging load carriers is now much simpler and clearer for both forklift drivers and employees such as Wenke. The app not only visualises the exchange processes, it also shows the exchange accounts of all exchange partners at a glance.

The freight forwarders also work more time-efficiently thanks to the Logistikbude, as they can also continuously track and coordinate the quantities of Euro exchange pallets. "We are now even being asked by our transport partners and customers which solution we are using. This shows us that our collaboration with Logistikbude has set a new benchmark," summarises Westenberg. So far, more than ten partner freight forwarders have already taken advantage of this offer and over 2,000 exchange transactions have been processed via this solution since its launch.

Save costs by avoiding unnecessary new purchases

In addition to the significantly more efficient processes and the resulting reduction in personnel costs, bekuplast is also saving on running costs thanks to the Logistikbude: because the family business can now track how many Euro exchange pallets are in circulation, it can avoid unnecessary new purchases. "We were surprised by the number of Euro exchange pallets in the value chain and the number of transactions processed. For the first time, the system showed us transparently how much "money" is in circulation in the form of Euro exchange pallets," explains Westenberg.

Short test phase with maximum success

The fact that these clear successes are already evident after just a few months not only speaks in favour of the software solution itself, which has streamlined and simplified bekuplast's reusable management during this time, but also for the employees of the family business. After all, even the best software solution can only provide support if it is actually used by the employees.

For Steffen Brand, Customer Success Manager at Logistikbude, it was also immediately clear that the project would be successful.

"On the one hand, our solution fits bekuplast's requirements profile perfectly. But what particularly impressed me was the friendly and productive collaboration. Thanks to my personal connection to the region, the joint project felt like a hit right from the start," explains Brand, who is originally from the neighbourhood.

The bekuplast employees were intensively involved in the implementation through a targeted test phase. "It was particularly important to us that the solution met the needs of our forklift drivers. After all, they are the ones who will be using the app on a daily basis," emphasises Westenberg. Three selected forklift drivers tested the app and found it extremely user-friendly and intuitive.

Other employees involved in the exchange process, in particular Wolfgang Wenke, also played a decisive role in the success of the project. "As Wolfgang mainly manages our pallet exchange accounts, we wanted to make sure in advance that the software also met his requirements," explains Westenberg. Fortunately, it quickly became clear during this short phase that it was a good fit: "I was immediately pleasantly surprised and volunteered to be the 'guinea pig'. Logistikbude actively supported us and not only listened to our comments and requests for improvement with open ears, but also implemented them directly," says Wenke.

After a few adjustments, all employees already had great confidence in the new system, so that implementation could begin after just one and a half months. In total, the complete implementation took less than four months.

Sustainable in the long term

In the near future, the manufacturer of reusable transport packaging can imagine further expanding its collaboration with Logistikbude and using the system in other areas too. "When relocating our production tools, which we use across multiple sites, we encountered similar challenges as with our Euro exchange pallets. Real-time tracking would be very helpful here," explains Westenberg. Firstly, however, the implementation of a new ERP system is on the agenda, during which the existing interfaces to the Logistikbude's digital solution will also be examined. The aim is to further improve, automate and, above all, simplify existing processes.

About the Logistikbude

Logistikbude, a logistics start-up founded in 2021, digitalises the management of reusable assets such as pallets, containers and racks. Its user-friendly software creates transparency regarding stocks, requirements and turnaround times. Shippers, logistics service providers and retailers benefit from lower repurchase rates and reduced administrative costs.

The experts at Logistikbude are also happy to share their many years of experience from the world of packaging at Fraunhofer IML in a non-binding exchange, over a digital coffee or at events. Feel free to get in touch at any time using the contact form.

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